Merciless
by asyadreamer09
Summary: It's the end of the Summer Tournament in the first year in High School. The GOM were slaughtered by Rakuzan, as only expected. But seeing Kuroko in Rakuzan uniform, they did not. Now, the Miracles scramble to defeat Rakuzan at the Winter Cup, figure out what happened, and get back their shadow - one, who has seemingly changed into everything that he had once gone against. AkaKuro
1. Chapter 1

**Something that I just wanted to write ... I hope you like it. :) If you do, please review!**

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He crumpled to the ground, his body falling almost weightlessly as the strength dissipated from under him. His knees thudding against the hard wood like thunder, and if there was still feeling left, he would've screamed at the pain that shuddered through the bones.

Sweat dripped onto the polished floor like blood, diamonds that glistened under the harsh court lights. The arena was deafening, people clamoring over each other, mothers and kids screaming, teenagers mumbling nervously, coaches shocked out of their wits.

Aomine trembled, face still thrown in shock.

In the stands of the giant stadium, multiple row upon row of the hundreds that cheered and catcalled around them, were five colored heads, so vibrant among the black haired multitudes, that it was impossible not to see them. They stood frozen, in just as much shock as the rest.

His teammates walked towards him, just as shaky as and even paler than the ganguro below them. They bent down, trying to grip the slick, bulky arms, but to no avail. The cyan haired man continued to shake, his body even worse than before, and the slow murmurs of his teammates sounded like garble in his ears.

"Hey, you have to get up," Sakurai begged. "It's not healthy to be kneeling there, have some water…"

Aomine didn't listen.

"Let's – let's get down there," Momoi murmured from above. "Quickly, now."

The others from the blessed team, Generation of Miracles followed quickly, just as nervous and maybe even more terrified.

They hadn't come even halfway towards the court when someone else had walked towards the defeated Tuou ace. In fact, two someones.

It was simply difficult to sense the presence of the other. But on this particular occasion, it was easy. Because those silent footsteps were like a nightmare, sending shivers down a back already cold as ice.

The white sneakers stopped a foot before Aomine's head. The Miracles in the stands stopped, holding their breath in fear.

"I said that it was impossible, Aomine-kun." The soft voice was like a wisp of a breeze – light and fading into nothing. "You can't beat us."

His head rose up only a fraction, catching the eye of a black wristband, so painfully familiar of its black fuzz that curled in balls over the edges. In the corner of his eye, stood another pair of feet, slightly larger than the first. His hands tensed into fists against the hard floors.

"Why? Why, would you do this? Tetsu…"

He wrenched his eyes higher, his contorted face glaring angrily into the emotionless eyes of the bluenette, vice-captain of Rakuzan High School.

"Why would you join them?" he spit out. Everything was strangled like a snake was closing over his throat. His eyes were clouding over, drawing wet blurs over the bluenette's perfect face.

Beside him, Akashi stood, cruel and silent, eyes glowing terribly like orbs.

Kuroko held the sweaty ball in hand. Both of his arms were limp at his side.

"Because that is my choice. To win. Wasn't that all of yours as well?"

It was obvious this was towards not only him, nor the teammates that stood in their paralyzed stances, kneeling beside the ganguro, looking in shock at the boy. The five colored haired teens looked horrified as a single blue eye turned towards them.

Aomine sputtered. "But you were better – better than all of us!" he said angrily. "You were always better! I don't understand! What changed you?"

Kuroko was silent for a moment. Akashi leaned in, whispering something to the vice-captain. Kuroko seemed to nod in response.

"It was a good game, Aomine-kun. I look forward to playing with you again." They turned away, their steps as padded as if they were walking barefoot on carpet. "If you can put up a better fight."

As Kuroko walked away, Akashi paused for a moment. "Daiki – your footwork was sloppy and I can see your diet has been plummeting. You should stop eating so many burgers – it's not good for your health."

Aomine heard no more from either of them as they treaded away. Stunned into action, the other Miracles began to stumble forward, waking up the Tuou team as well from their stupor.

"Daiki!" Momoi cried, tumbling to the floor. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

Aomine couldn't speak.

"I – I didn't know Kurokocchi could play like that," Kise whispered. "It was almost worse than Akashicchi's style."

"It _was_ worst," Midorima murmured, his hand tightening on the stuffed plushie Hello Kitty doll that was today's good luck charm.

Today, Aquarius and Sagittarius were at the bottom, 2nd to last and last, respectively. But that didn't stop them from massacring Tuou in the Summer Finals, 170-101.

And leading the charge was Akashi, leader of the unstoppable army, as always and – in a terrifying shock – Kuroko, who suddenly appeared wearing the blue and white unwaveringly.

The only thing he'd sent out that indicated any such change was something that happened last week – but this – this was different. If it was just changing schools was one thing, but –

Aomine continued to shake as Kise and Momoi scrambled to pull him up. Murasakibara's hand was dipped in a potato chip bag, but it wasn't moving – it hadn't moved for minutes now.

"I don't understand," Aomine said, gritting his teeth. "What happened? What changed?"

Kise swallowed. "It had to be something bad – he mentioned us. Is it our fault? For changing… for changing so suddenly…"

Murasakibara murmured darkly, his eyes glinting horribly. "I don't like this at all…"

They looked at the team at the bench beyond them. Kotaro was laughing as always, slapping Kuroko on the back like he'd always been there. The bluenette sipped from a water bottle, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a clean towel proffered to him.

Akashi took his waterproof jacket and slipped it over Kuroko's shoulders, again murmuring in his ear. Kuroko nodded. The coach began to talk as Nebuya dumped the rest of the water cooler's contents over his head.

"Whatever it is … we have to find out what it is," Midorima said testily. It was unlike him to take charge or get involved – but even if it was Kuroko, whom he didn't get along with – he could not sit idly by. After all, he'd once been the vice-captain of that not-so long ago team – one that included the bluenette.

It was as if a cold douse of water had woken all five of them up as they watched Kuroko and Akashi walk inside. Akashi's hand draped over Kuroko's shoulder and the boy made no effort to push it off. If they were imagining things – maybe he even leaned into the red head's embrace.

Even just a tiny bit.

"Absolutely," Aomine whispered. He finally got up, the calls from his teammates, who had long gone back to the bench calling out to him, but he didn't listen. Every cell in his body screamed for vengeance – for justice. And that was what he was going to get.

The Winter Cup would come – and with that, new games. And hopefully – the time to find out what had happened to Kuroko in one tournament – one that would change him so much to become what he had always hated.

Merciless.


	2. Chapter 2

**HELLO ALL!**

**It's your silly author here, haha! ^_^**

**I just have to say first off – I'M SO SORRY. It's been forever since I posted this up, and although I replied to some of you, most I didn't even respond to when you wrote your ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL reviews! So I'm sure most of you thought this was never going to be updated – yet you read it anyway! T.T**

**Thank you for being patient and I hope you like this next installment – again, updates are slow because of Lights – my other KnB story I'm working on. If you have never read it, I'd be so touched if you found it in yourself to do so.**

**Also, I'm so amazed at the response – so many followers and favorites, even after one chapter! *0* I'm so stunned. You have such faith in me. I do admit, I am nervous – I feel everyone has such big expectations of this fic that I won't meet anyone's at all. I ask for your open-mindedness, since I am not a basketball expert and probably will NOT do everything perfectly. But I'll try my best.**

**Please enjoy the chapter!**

**(Not edited at all. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!)**

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The Rakuzan basketball team was currently in practice. But if a passerby peeked through the door, they probably would've called someone in worry.

Currently, the court was in a massacre.

An orange blur slammed into Hayama's hands with a baritone echo, as final as an ending gong. In a blur of white and blue, he spun towards the far end of the court.

Second string players fumbled to catch up, looking like toy figures in a pinball game at the arcade as the blonde wove between them, a flurry of light and grins. A glint in his eye, his two fingers tweaked to the left.

The world stilled; the ball breathed as it slipped from Hayama's fingers. A light breath escaped his gently parted lips. A burnt orange spun in the air.

And then it stopped with a lurching gasp.

Hayama Kotaro shuddered; the air already disappeared from his lungs. His eyes widened in pain.

He collapsed to the ground. Those brown eyes swiveled in his shock, trying to find the source of the pain. His hands fell to his chest, holding in pain.

A blur of blue passed his vision.

Kuroko Tetsuya gave him only a fleeting glance as his pale hands wrapped around the ball.

And in the next moment, he was gone, leaving Hayama to finish falling to his knees.

The bulky Nebuya came next in line. His muscular form, when you added the full span of his gigantic arms spread across the size of three men. He was the ultimate defense piece of the Rakuzan court – unbeatable in strength and brute force.

His dark and beady eyes scrambled around the court, following from Hayama's gasping body up.

Suddenly, he was lurching forward. His foot screamed in agony as an unnoticed breeze fluttered past him. Nebuya spun around, his hands the size of ping-pong paddles, grabbing at the air. Another paralyzing shot of pain hit him on his upper arm. He froze, every nerve tingling.

Kuroko rushed past as Nebuya attempted to gain control of his body. His left arm looked comical, fumbling at nothing.

Immediately, the bluenette whirled, slamming his palm hard into the thick rubber sphere.

The second string center caught the ball; in moments, it was swishing through the net.

It was all in a day's work at the Rakuzan basketball courts. But all an outsider would probably see was how four team members were lying on the ground or frozen in place, with no visible sign of how it possibly happened. The last one standing, a wide eyed and slender male by the name of Mibuchi Reo stood there helplessly.

One of the poor souls stood up, limping over to Hayama, who waved him away good naturedly, despite a painful wince.

"21-15," a frightened freshman, Fujioka Shu squeaked. His lips were trembling, his throat was dry.

It had been terrifying to see; and as someone who hoped to be on the team, quite daunting to imagine that this – this was his future should he ever get good enough.

His eyes drifted to the second string. Their dark blue practice uniforms clung to their sweaty forms. Each one was clenched and tense – it had been a great workout, to be sure and his senpais seemed to be learning a lot about teamwork.

But if they ever dropped a single pass…

Fujioka remembered Toshiba-san, a healthy seventeen year old – one of the best prospects for the renowned first string – trying not to cry as he was led to the nurse. The angle of his arm had looked frighteningingly off.

The nurse said it was only a greenstick fracture – it would heal up in a couple of weeks.

But still. Gazing at the first string stumbling to their feet and the exhausted second line that was just relieved to get off the court, the freshman wasn't sure which one he'd rather be.

Akashi Seijuuro, captain – and in most ways – coach of the team, was beginning to instruct the players on things that that could be improved on.

"Kotaro, the reason that you didn't notice Tetsuya there was because of your lack of perception. Whenever you feel like you've succeeded, you let down your guard, just like on the last basket when you let go of the ball. Until it's out of your range, it's your responsibility.

"And Sayama – your footwork needs work. That's going to be put on your training menu next week."

Shakily, the rest of the teens who had gotten their remarks sat down for water. Most were trembling, but luckily it was too indistinguishable to be noticed.

The only one who did not join them was their beloved Vice Captain, who had immediately gone for a drink.

Out of all of them, it was true; this boy looked the most tired. He had a frail complexion and a delicate frame. Most wouldn't think it was the most athletic type.

But he was dangerous. After all, it had been him that had thrown that wooden shoehorn laying by the bleachers at Toshiba right during the game.

Afterwards, Akashi told him that breaking people's arms would not be tolerated. It could even lead to expulsion. There had been no real incidents after that.

Thus, no one really protested as the team ignored his presence.

Akashi blew his whistle a sharp three times. The rest of the courts – all linked by adjacent doors, and all open to boot – paused in their practice games. It was the signal for end of practice.

"Good job, everyone," Akashi said aloud, once they were all gathered.

Kuroko sat quietly beside Hayama and Mibuchi, who were some of the only players who had the courage to interact with the VC. Cheerfully, the blonde handed Kuroko a towel, which the boy silently accepted.

Off the court, he looked much less dangerous, his features softened and almost vulnerable.

But it was just a ploy. It was never truer that looks could be deceiving. Everyone here learned that the very first day Kuroko had joined Rakuzan, almost two weeks ago exactly.

Poor Yana. He almost quit that day.

"No Saturday practice, since it's the first week since the end of the summer tournament. But this is the only break. No one in this club is going to begin slacking."

Akashi ran through his list at an almost sergeant-like pace. Rapid gunning of each bullet and notification, with a commanding and clear voice. Akashi was always a very feared and respected captain, capable and instructive to anyone who needed it, but most of the group was also intimidated.

Sometimes you'd ask him for a break from practice because of some excuse and almost a month later, he'd still remember it – and those sharp eyes would tear you down until you admitted to slacking off for some date.

And then the punishment was always terrifying. When angry, the captain's wide and crazed eyes could strike fear into basically anyone. No one stopped him, since his father was on the board of the school district, rich as the Akashi household was. It was a daunting taskforce, really. Most didn't disobey after the first two times they'd tried to get something past him.

They didn't even have the bravery to talk about him behind his back. There was just too much fear.

That had changed though – now, most of the group quite appreciated the red head. It was because Akashi was always fair, always clear, and always right. As long as you did what he said and worked hard, you were fine.

Unless you were first string, of course, then it was more a matter of perfection.

But more of that later.

The main reason why Akashi looked so much nicer was because of their new vice-captain.

Reo was usually a great alternate to ask for directions or favors. He had some sway with the coach after all and he was always motherly.

But Kuroko – you could never expect what Kuroko would do.

One minute, you'd ask him for ten minutes early from practice because of a dentist appointment and he'd be knifing his hand into your neck. Two minutes after that, he'd be hugging you and apologizing.

No – it was safer to talk to Akashi. Akashi never injured anyone unless they truly deserved it.

"We'll start up again at five AM on Monday. Have a good weekend." With that, the captain tucked his clipboard under his arm and walked to the bleachers. Everyone else trudged to the locker rooms.

Kuroko nodded and gave a small smile to Mibuchi, who stood up as Akashi walked over.

"Nice practice, Sei-chan," he greeted cheerfully.

Akashi nodded absently. "I'll call you tomorrow," he said quietly, obviously expecting the blackette to pick up.

Mibuchi nodded quickly and walked inside with Nebuya, who was already chewing on a new cheeseburger.

"Nice job in practice," Akashi said.

Kuroko glanced up at Akashi. Immediately, his eyes dropped. "… Not really," he murmured sadly. His eyes filled with emotion.

"He'll be fine," Akashi said. "That wasn't even his dominant arm that got injured."

"It still means something," Kuroko argued.

Akashi didn't argue with that. He sat down.

Kuroko shuffled through Akashi's bag. "H-here," he said quickly.

"Thanks." Uncapping it quickly, he chugged a good quarter of the bottle in one draft.

With no one in them, the courts were quiet. It was a musky atmosphere, with sweat and dirt seeping in every breath. Yet, Kuroko kept his lips tightly sealed. His nostrils flared slightly.

The boy's throat constricted painfully. He gazed up at Akashi and opened his mouth. Quickly, he shut it again.

Finally, he opened up. "Am I in trouble? With the principal or something?"

Akashi paused. His expression was still serious when he answered. "No, not this time. I can take care of this matter." But his eyes glowed as he continued. "But you _can't_ do this again. Understand, Tetsuya? You have to control yourself."

Kuroko nodded quickly. "I know – I know…"

"And the other teammates are beginning to fear you," Akashi said, still sharply. "You've noticed, right?"

Again, the teen nodded.

"Alright then." Staring a moment at the boy, he relented. "I'm sorry. I know that this is hard on you. And it's so early. But –" He sighed. "You need to control yourself. This won't work if you don't."

"I'm trying." Kuroko's eyebrows furrowed in frustration and anger. Anger, mostly at himself.

"I try but when I see other people – especially on the court, I just –" He gripped his head tightly. Color rose to his cheeks, the same icy darkness was flooding into those light eyes.

"Weakness." The word came out almost inaudible. It hissed past pink lips, like a curse. A wad of spit was swallowed down instead of flung on the remnants of its sound. "I despise it. Despise it…"

Akashi grabbed Kuroko's face, bringing it up closer to his own. Their eyes locked.

"Tetsuya. Tetsuya, focus back on me." The red head stroked the side of the boy's cheek. The heterochromatic eyes fluctuated in the harsh fluorescent lights.

Kuroko's face fell from its cruel mask.

What few knew was that each of Akashi's eyes had flecks of the other color in them. The scarlet with droplets of gold, the warm molten color with speckles of bright ruby.

They complemented each other beautifully.

"Sorry." Kuroko swallowed, shaking his head. "Sorry." His voice grew stronger.

Akashi swallowed. A bit of his usual hardness – the lack of emotion that he'd built up for the last few years came back. "It's okay."

Part of it was his fault anyway. He'd changed and become…the captain of the generation of miracles. The Generation of Monsters, more like. And he'd abandoned one of his greatest friends – his dearest friend, now.

Maybe if he'd just been there, things would've not come out like they had.

But there was nothing he could do about it now. He was just ashamed that it took that to have him snap out.

Still, it was hard not to fall into that cold pace. Kuroko being so mean reminded him of his own behavior. Akashi was also ashamed that he needed that.

Thinking it was time to move onto lighter subjects, Akashi tapped Kuroko on the shoulder. "Hey. What are we doing about dinner? Are you still unpacking things?"

Kuroko sighed. "I'm almost done. We can go out to eat somewhere. Or even cook."

"Well, I'm not sure about your cooking," Akashi deadpanned. "Let's just go out for now."

"Where to?" Kuroko asked.

Akashi shrugged. "You can pick."

"I see…well…" His thoughts moved to Maji's but he discarded them just as quickly. That made him think of Seirin.

Seirin made him both sad and boiling with fury.

"Anywhere with good katsudon would be nice," Kuroko admitted.

Akashi huffed, unimpressed. "I'll have to work on your taste as well."

With a slight edge to his monotonous voice, Kuroko lashed back, "I'm not the only one who has things to work on."

The red head chuckled sadly. "Mm…yeah."

They fell into a gentle silence. Their hands fell on top of each other's, overlapping in a warm and sweaty pile.

Slowly, Kuroko raised the top hand of the stack. His eyes clouded just slightly. Hesitant and ever so gently, he tugged on Akashi's short bangs.

"I always liked them long," he confessed. His words carried along the wind, breathily. Kuroko's face was bruised and fearful, as if he'd just said a dark secret.

Akashi swallowed.

Their breaths were mingling, quickening.

The distance between them shortened, the space between them darkening –

Suddenly, the gym door burst open. They both jumped apart.

"Kuroko-kun!" Hayama called out in a sing-song voice. "Your phone is ringing! What should we do?"

Kuroko's hands clenched suddenly.

"You…" he whispered, almost shaking in anger.

"Stupid…_imbecile_!" His voice thundered throughout the gym, rippling over the walls again and again.

Hayama's face turned white.

"How many times do I have to tell you to NOT DISTURB ME WHEN I'M BUSY?!" he shrieked. His hand closed over the first thing near him – that just happened to be the metal clipboard that Akashi had set beside him.

Akashi grabbed his wrist tightly. Hayama stepped back before hurrying back inside.

"Stop it, Tetsuya – stop it!"

His chest heaving, Kuroko snapped towards Akashi.

His horrible expression faded and once again he looked broken and horrified, just like after Toshiba's injury. And Yana's too.

"I'm sorry…sorry, Akashi-kun."

He fell into Akashi's embrace and in silence they both sat, until Kuroko had calmed himself and the familiar steel of determination had returned to his face.

Then they went into the locker room to shower and change.

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**So? How did you like it? Any thoughts? Theories? Questions? ^_^**

**Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! They make my day brighter and really help me so much.**


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! Happy AkaKuro week! I wanted this to be on 4/11 in celebration of our beloved pair, but I was lazy and didn't finish it in time. A friend asked me to contribute – and since I have been horrible in updating, this is it.

Thank you for all the reviews! The response to this work is astounding. I seriously don't know what to say. I just want to let you all know that the chronology on this is one I made up; I'm not sure exactly of the time of the summer tournament, basketball techniques, and if I messed up any of the names the characters call each other, correct me! It's been a while since I wrote a traditional basketball KnB fic style.

Because this fic has so many ways that it can be written, I feel that someone will always be disappointed. I'll try my best to prevent that, so know I'm working as hard as I can to make it good! And whatever route this does take, I hope it makes you happy. Please let me know any guesses or hypotheses you have about the mystery of our most gorgeous little blue head. I LOVE QUESTIONS AND THEORIES~

Now, quite a few people have asked me about another fic of mine called Lights (if you don't know about this, just skip this paragraph!). I took it down a few months ago and I know that it disappointed a lot of you. I want to say that I'm so sorry for any harm – I took it down for many reasons. One of them was that the fic had still a lot of story left to cover but that it was dragging on too long without proper editing. I have written many more chapters of the story after the last one I posted on FFN, but I'd rather the readers here have fond memories of it rather than me writing all I do, posting, and then finding it boring later. One day, it might pop up again. And of course – you are free to message me any time about it. (Yes, most of you have messaged me and I never responded. Please do again. I promise to be better about replying). This response isn't a great one, I know. But I thank you for loving Lights as much as I do, and I promise I still write it continuously.

Until then, it's not much, but please enjoy this fic. Happy reading and review!

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The summer air was thick with the smell of pungent blossoms so sweet it collected like mucus in your throat. Tiny beads of moisture collected on throats of passersby, before rolling down unhappily down their necks and under shirts. The sun was just as uncomfortable, without a single wisp of cloud to hide its rays. All in all, the weather had signaled the beginning of summer vacation upon them.

It was in this haze that a momentous occasion took place outside the familiar sight of Maji's Diner. A dozen pairs of sneakers shuffled down the cobblestone street and promptly bit their lips, before nodding and walking into the shop.

The blast of chilled air that greeted them loosened the muscles that they had unconsciously been flexing. Gesturing to the waitress, four of the largest tables were shoved together; one couple from Tōō already waiting in reach. They had reserved the loneliest corner of the room, away from more prying eyes and ears.

Kagami, resident prodigy and self-proclaimed light of Kuroko Tetsuya, sat down first. He had never felt this uncomfortable in Maji's before. The familiar plaid wallpaper and vinyl seats should've been a welcome sight. But today it only reminded him of who was missing from their group and why exactly he had left.

Another of Kuroko's lights dwelled on the other side of the make-shift conference table. Aomine and Momoi had been the first here, mostly because the manager had been most worried about Kuroko's changed behavior. Kagami's eyes locked with the cyan head before looking away quickly. Both were uncomfortable with the arrangement, even more so because it seemed that insults were no longer acceptable forms of communication due to the atmosphere. The air grew even colder. Suddenly the summer's friendly heat was a much more appealing alternate.

Hyuuga and the rest of Seirin sat on the same side as Kagami. Aida refused to get sucked into the nervous atmosphere and immediately called for some menus.

"Everyone, order something. Even if we're not in contest season, we have to keep up our stamina for practice."

Furihata and Fukuda exchanged sad glances. No one was in the mood to practice ever since one of their own had suddenly moved schools. And without so much as a note of resignation from the team. However, they all grabbed a menu and attempted a read before just ordering plain burgers and fries.

The silence went on for another minute before Kagami growled.

"Where are the rest of them? We said 1 PM, didn't we?" His fist clenched, leaving his white knuckles protrude from his skin like spikes on a metal glove.

"Relax Kagami-kun, it's only 1:03. I'm sure they're coming soon," Kiyoshi said.

And just on time, the bell rang once more, bringing in some familiar faces. Kise's gentle locks brushed over his eyes as he made his way over to the table. Following him was Muraskibara and his dull, emotionless gaze, although it looked much sharper than usual.

"Hey," Kise greeted them softly, before sitting down. His eyes narrowed sharply as he gazed at Seirin before acknowledging Momoi and Aomine with a gentler nod.

Momoi smiled hesitantly at both of them, still happy that they were together again, despite the circumstances.

"I got a text from Midorimacchi – he'll be here in a few. Takao-san is coming with him."

This didn't surprise anyone anymore; they'd gotten used to the Hawk Eye clinging to the shooter every time one was spotted. However it raised a few eyebrows that he would come to this particular meeting, especially since Kuroko didn't seem to be particularly close to him.

The silence descended on them once more before Hyuuga spoke out hesitantly.

"And Akashi-san?" Everyone held their breath, looking between the three miracles. Kise shrugged uncertainly and looked to Momoi, who shook her head. "He didn't reply to any of my texts when I asked – I don't think he's coming."

Aomine nodded and grunted in agreement. "Got the same runaround."

Murasakibara bit into a cream cake quietly. "Akashicchi won't come. He doesn't just do things when he's called."

Kagami growled, eyes narrowing even more. "Doesn't come when he's called my ass - he steals Kuroko and then just decides he's above everyone! He's the one that changed him in the first place! Of course he doesn't want to come, who the hell wants to come and answer for the jackass things they've done?"

"Kagami-kun! Sit down!" Hyuuga barked, grabbing his shoulder and shoving the red head back into his chair. The boy had been halfway up, although who he was trying to attack was anyone's guess.

"Don't lay this on Akashi!" Aomine snarled.

"Who else should I be laying it on?" Kagami yelled. "It sure as hell wasn't us that did this!"

"That's enough!" Aida slammed her hands on the table. "We're here to figure this out not argue so just shut up!"

The bell rang again. Takao and Midorima stepped in, both wearing plain colored t-shirts and basketball shorts. Midorima had a Hello Kitty watch on his wrist; most likely the special item of the day.

Midorima eyed all of them, halfway out of their seats, teeth feral and bared. He shook his head. "Acting like children already? Should've known."

"Midorin!" Momoi stood up quickly, before anyone else could snipe back. "Is Akashi-kun coming?"

Midorima paused a moment and then shook his head. "He texted me back with a message for everyone – 'Don't worry about Tetsuya. I'm taking care of him.'"

Kagami couldn't take it anymore. "Taking care? You mean brainwashing him to be just fucking like him! Caring about winning, hurting people – that isn't the Kuroko I know!"

Hyuuga gripped his arm and shoved him down again. Midorima simply sneered and sat down. Takao shot the shooter a warning glance before sitting beside him.

"Okay, let's just get this over with now that everyone's here," Kiyoshi started off. "Obviously, we're all worried about Kuroko-kun and all stunned at what we saw a couple weeks back at the Summer finals. Since that's the case, let's just start there." He looked calmly to Momoi and Aomine, who seemed to be taking this the most calmly for now.

"Do you know anything about the sudden changes in Kuroko-kun's behavior before the game? Did he call any of you up – ask something?"

Momoi shook her head. "I – I didn't get any kind of call from Tetsu-kun. But Dai-chan…"

Aomine let out a long breath from his nostrils, which flared freely from the sigh. "About a month ago, I got a call. Tetsu seemed – on edge. He was even quieter than usual and he didn't seem like himself. He asked me whether I had some time to hang out or get together. I told him that I was busy and maybe later."

"And you didn't ask him what's wrong?" Kagami asked in disbelief.

"I've rarely talked to Tetsu this year, save the game, damn it!" Aomine shot back. "It was nice to hear from him but it could've been just the phone being lousy or he was tired – how was I supposed to know something was wrong? I said that we'd hang out some other time!"

"You should've at least asked!" he retorted back.

"He's your teammate! He goes to your school! Why is it my fault that Tetsu's gone off the deep end?"

Aida cleared her throat. "Guys! That's enough. Anyone else?"

Kise shifted uncomfortably. "I got a similar kind of call – about three weeks ago. Kurokocchi was weird though – he started asking me all these questions."

"Like what?" Aida said warily.

"Nothing much really – he started asking how I was, what I was doing. I told him about my latest photo shoot and all. Then he asked me how my team was. We were still in the tournament back then, but you guys were already out, so I told him that things were fine.

"It was a pretty nice conversation; usually he doesn't talk to me for that long. I actually didn't really know what to think of it," the blond confessed, only a little ashamed to admit that Kuroko didn't really like spending much time with him. This was an important topic – it was just best to keep it short.

In one of his rare serious moods, Kise continued. "Suddenly after that, Kurokocchi asked me about winning and teamwork – whether I believed in the same thing I always did. Whether in the end, hard work wasn't worth it."

Midorima frowned, leaning in closer. "What did you say?"

"Well – it was such a serious question and so random; I didn't know what to say at first. But I thought that it was like usual – Kurokocchi trying to convince us of the same things we've already been told. I said that teamwork is important, but that it's still meaningless if the whole team is weaker than yourself. I said that if you're good, why shouldn't you win? And that if you have talent you don't need anything else. You don't need anyone."

The Seirin side of the table glowered at the copycat. The whole answer was everything that Kuroko went against – self-centered and condescending. No need for friends, family, what kind of answer was it? Obviously Kise had learned nothing from all the time with the shadow.

"And then what happened?" A patient Kiyoshi asked.

"Then – he just got a little quieter. I thought he was just disappointed again, but I wanted to get it across to him that it wasn't that teamwork was _bad_ or anything. It's just that if you can be stronger without it, then you should do what is best! Bad teams just bring you down." Kise shook his head. "After that, he didn't stay much longer on the phone. Just said 'thanks' and hung up."

A dismal silence fell on the group once more.

"Anything from you two?" Kagami pointed bluntly to the remaining two miracles. Muraskibara shrugged. "He called me a just less than three weeks ago – asked if there was anywhere I wanted to go and try pastries.

"I told him that Himuro was forcing me to stay late to work on a project for school … so he should call me tomorrow and we can go to this new bakery that I found. But he never called."

"You should've just called him then," Aomine said.

Kagami snorted. "Look who you're talking to."

"Shut up!"

Midorima interrupted deftly. "I too got a call about the time that Murasakibara-kun did. He simply asked what I was doing and if there was any way I might want to get together for a friendly game. I told him that the tournament was taking up most of my time, but afterwards I would be able to meet up."

Aida bit her lip. "So it seemed like Kuroko-kun reached out to all of us and none of us responded back to him."

"About that," Aomine said sharply, "What about all of you? He's your teammate and part of your school! What didn't you notice? How did he suddenly transfer to Rakuzan?"

Aida looked to the others for help. Izuki spoke up first, surprisingly. "We – we knew that something was going on, but Kuroko is always so quiet and expressionless that we didn't think much of it."

Hyuuga took over from there. "Kuroko looked really tired. Well – actually he looked about the same, but he was running slower and things. We were all so pumped up after, well, after our loss. So we decided to train even harder. We were working on individual skills mostly. And then, about two months ago – right after we started practicing again – we decided to call in an expert."

"An expert?" Aomine asked, eyebrows furrowing.

Hyuuga nodded reluctantly. "You know how Akashi-san was able to see the hidden potential in people? Riko can do the same thing, but not to the level that Akashi-san could. We thought that we needed to get the most out of everyone's abilities. We hired in one of the experts from the professional courts to come in and see what maybe we could do to be better. If that included new skills or a new line-up, then we were willing to do it."

"You called in a _professional_? How desperate were you?" Aomine asked in disbelief. He could believe that one of the more upper ranked teams would do this, but Seirin was just starting out. Besides, a trainer like that costs money – big money. And that wasn't the kind of budget a tiny team had on their first or second year.

Aida's eyes were sharp. "We were willing to take the risk. If we got pointers now and won the Winter Cup – then it would give us sponsors, advertisement, and new talent as well. It was a good investment."

"So, the expert came?" Takao said, waving a hand to push this along.

"So the expert came – and he was good."

A couple of the other team members were beginning to smile at the memories, even Furihata, although that wasn't too difficult. "Really good."

"He showed us a lot. Worked with our second and third string as well – and we realized that there was whole other ways to play the game. Working with everyone's strengths, we invented a whole new playbook. The guy was only there for a few weeks –"

"He cost a hell of a lot," Hyuuga muttered.

"But he was worth it," Aida ended with relish.

The miracles weren't very impressed with the summary.

"So what does that have to do with Kurokocchi?" Kise said, eyebrows pulling down.

Kagami grunted. "Well – that's the thing. I don't know! The guy was great – he even told Kuroko that he had more skills he could hone! Not much, I mean – the guy still has a weak body. But that he had _potential_." He stressed the last word painfully long as if it mattered.

"The team was definitely moving great," Izuki murmured reluctantly. "Although – Kuroko-kun was becoming even quieter. And sometimes it took a while for him to show up whenever we were looking for him."

"Problem is that with Kuroko-kun, you can't be sure whether he's really gone or he's just there and not listening or something," Aida pointed out.

Aomine held out a hand. "Wait. Wait a second – you're telling me that all that time with him and you don't know _why _he _quit your team and moved schools?_ You've got to be kidding me!" His hand clenched on the burger that he was eating during the conversation. The food had come in mounds and they were all digging in, although with little gusto and more just so they had something to do with their hands.

"Were you ignoring him? Were you pulling away?" Memories flickered back to a time in Teiko, where another set of teammates did just that. Aomine shoved away the guilt and the thoughts.

"No!" Aida's voice was sharp. The happy glimmer in her eyes was gone and now they were dark and downcast once more. "No –" she sighed. "We spent a lot of time training. But Kuroko-kun was there with us during that. But there were a couple of problems." She paused. "There were disagreements with where the team was going. We wanted to be a more – more varied. Have different styles of playing. Some of them were focused around a specific player and backing them up then changing tactics to be more freeform."

Midorima ended the trailing statement. "And Kuroko didn't approve of that."

"No – no, he said that he was worried," Aida said quietly. "That such plays might turn into something more dangerous. That we'd start losing our focus on teamwork."

Personally, Aomine didn't see what was so great about teamwork. It wasn't like it was a sacred thing in basketball – basketball wasn't about giving it to someone else to make them feel good. It was about getting the ball into the hoop without breaking the rules, no matter what else in your path.

Now though, he felt like there was cold water on him, along with two dozen punches to the gut. He still didn't think teamwork was anything special, but the way that Tetsu had played on the court that day… he shivered unconsciously. It wasn't basketball. Not at all. It was a war.

"So you ignored him and continued working. And that's why he left," Himuro said reasonably. He'd been quiet the entire time, only nodding once to Kagami before sitting by Muraskibara. Honestly, he didn't know much about Kuroko, but seeing his foster brother and the terrifying change that had appeared from the bluenette, he decided that it was about as well that he came.

"Just because we were ignoring him doesn't mean that he would've just quiet on us!" Aida snapped. "He would've said something more!"

"He did argue with us a lot about it at the beginning," Kagami pointed out, almost reluctantly. "He and Trainer Nabe got into discussions about it."

Nabe must be the expert they called in, Midorima decided to himself.

"He argued about it, but that was it! He followed the program and it wasn't like we destroyed teamwork!" Aida said this quickly and fiercely, as if she'd done it before. Obviously Seirin had been through this same conversation many times before today.

"What about the school? How did he suddenly get to pull out of Rakuzan?" Momoi asked desperately. "Did they tell you a reason for the move?"

"They said that's private information," Izuki mentioned quietly.

"What about his house? Did you talk to his parents or call him? After all, he would've had to be in Rakuzan for at least a few days before. Didn't you notice him gone from practice the week before the finals?"

"We noticed and we called, but the line had been disconnected already. The phone wasn't in service. And then we looked for him at his house –" Kagami stopped here, bothered apparently by what he'd seen. "And he wasn't there. No one was there."

"No one? What about his parents?"

Fukuda, one of the freshman trio shook his head. In almost a reverent whisper, eyes wide and fearful he leaned in. "_No one_ was there. The house was empty – there was a 'For Lease' sign on the window of the apartment."

Everyone was silent at this.

"What the hell?" Aomine demanded. Moving schools was one thing; Tetsu being cruel and suddenly crazy was another – but his family gone? That was bordering on concern.

"And all of this was in a week?" Kise asked weakly.

Riko shook her head. "We don't know when – we…" she looked to Kagami.

Kagami swallowed. "I've been busy doing extra drills so I haven't been walking Kuroko home for a couple weeks anyway. I don't know when it happened during that time."

"So now Tetsu-kun has no address, no family, no cell – and he's moved to Rakuzan?" the pinked haired girl was bordering on hysterical.

Seirin could say nothing. The atmosphere was getting darker than ever before.

Midorima swallowed. He didn't like this. He didn't even know anything about Kuroko anymore after middle school ended. But Kuroko was still his friend and a former teammate. And that meant something.

He looked at Takao, whose eyes were dark with thought and suspicion. No one seemed to want to chat and there was no sounds, not even Muraskibara, who had paused in the shock of learning Kuroko had moved homes.

"Okay. Here's what we'll do. Although it's summer, we all know that the schools will be training for the Winter Cup. A few of us will go to Rakuzan to talk to Kuroko. Although I want to call Akashi-kun," Midorima cringed, the sudden fear of going against the small red head spiking his innards with liquid fire for a moment, "That might make Kuroko use his misdirection even more and avoid us. We'll go and talk to him to see if we can get any answers."

He looked up at the rest of the somber group. A flicker of annoyance passed through; this was their friend. Why was he the one that had to take charge, with the other captain here? "Is that good for everyone?"

At least, Midorima thought, Hyuuga was one of the first to nod.

"It sounds fine. Do you know when their practices are?"

Midorima nodded. "I went to talk to Akashi-kun once after practice, so it should be the same times, hopefully. It's a start."

"I'll go see him," Kagami said immediately.

"Me too," Aida added and Hyuuga nodded. Momoi and Aomine piped up, followed by Kise. This ending addition was shot down – the last thing they needed was Kise running up to Kuroko and scaring him away for some reason.

After times were set and a date picked out for the meeting, the teens left the diner, each paying for their own food, leaving a tiny pile of yen bills on the counter.

Midorima and Takao left first, wheeling out of the street with the dorky and squeaky buggy. Murasakibara left with Himuro, who only got to pat Kagami once on the shoulder before getting pulled away.

Kise was already late for a meeting with his agent as it was and ran out as soon as the times had been set.

"I still can't believe that you didn't notice anything else strange going on with Tetsu," Aomine said quietly to Kagami, who threw him a dark look. "Well believe it," Kagami snarled.

The cyan head opened his mouth to fire another insult then shut it quickly. His eyes focused far beyond Kagami's head, sharpening with new found alarm.

The red head was about the yell at him to pay attention when suddenly he was jerked around by Aida. She pointed suddenly beyond them, across the street. Her face had turned a pale shade of ash.

Kagami looked up in confusion at the sudden silence. Most of Seirin was also looking star struck in the same direction. Not understanding what was wrong, he finally focused on the distant view. His heart skipped a beat.

Across the street, in a pair of dark wash low rise jeans and a fitting charcoal vest was Kuroko, holding a couple bags of groceries, looking solemn as he walked down the street, seemingly done with his small trip to the market.


	4. Chapter 4

The problem with taking a break from writing is that once you finally get back into it, you're absolutely awful at it. For all other writers out there – don't fall away from it! Writing needs just as much skill as basketball and way more practice, haha.

Anyway, thank you so much for the favorites and the people who reviewed! I've found that unlike previous fics, it's easier to write this story in short chapters. However, I hope you enjoy! Please read and review! It was because of those reviews that I was able to get this out so fast – never underestimate the power of a hyper reader! They're my air, they give me life – like a uke needs the doting and attention of his seme, so do I need all your reviews.

I've also fixed the incorrect naming for Kuroko in the previous chapter. If there're any other problems, let me know.

Warning: Unedited

* * *

"Crap," Kagami whispered. The remaining guys on the team shared shocked expressions with each other before breaking into a sprint for the small blue male.

"Whoa, whoa, you can't just run across the street like that!" Hyuuga bellowed, futilely reaching out to grab Kagami's arm. It didn't make much difference though – both Kagami and Aomine were already gone, sprinting past the cars that squealed to a halt. Horns blared angrily at the giant thugs suddenly on the road.

Thank God that the stoplight had just turned green, Hyuuga thought, before dashing for the next intersection.

Kuroko didn't seem to notice chaos behind him as he adjusted his wrist, the heavy clink of drink cans thrummed against his knee. However, he did react when the two prodigies threw themselves into Kuroko's path. With a sudden yank of his arm, the boy was swung around, meeting the hard, dull ruby eyes of his old teammate. Aomine slid to a stop in front of the bluenette's path to keep him from going anywhere.

There was a spark of surprise lit his eyes, before it smoothly transitioned to recognition, and finally fading to a dark and cold glare. His body relaxed, arms dangling against both sides, as the rest of the team caught up with them.

"Kuroko –!" Kagami huffed, suddenly lost for words. As he swallowed, his throat seemed to dry up like a shriveled old raisin. The bluenette continued to watch them expressionlessly.

Half a dozen shouts echoed behind them. Kuroko turned slightly. Something of an almost mild interest played across his blank gaze.

"Tetsu-kun! Where have you been?" Momoi cried out first. She reached for his arm, which Kagami had finally released. "We've been so worried!"

"Have you?" Kuroko murmured. He transferred on of his two bags to his right arm, in order to leave the one constantly being tugged on empty.

"Yeah, Kuroko-kun, what's going on here?" Hyuuga asked worriedly. "First we don't see you for a week, and then this thing with Rakuzan – and now we hear that you've _moved_? Have you moved to Kyoto or something?"

"Yeah, and what was with that game?" Aomine demanded, regaining Kuroko's cool glance. "You totally killed us out there – no, you _slaughtered_ us! People got hurt, do you know that? Imayoshi had a dislocated shoulder!"

Kuroko's eyebrow shot upward. "I'm sorry, are you feeling bad that you lost?"

"What – no – it's about how you played here!" The cyan head roared in disbelief. "That was completely illegal!"

"Funny, I never heard someone call a foul against me," Kuroko mused. Those usually expressionless eyes were dancing with something akin with confidence, although the rest of his face was still devoid of emotion. His mouth didn't twitch once, for good or ill.

"That's not the point –!" Momoi interrupted Aomine quickly by putting her other hand on his arm. "Tetsu-kun, we're worried about you. This isn't you. What happened?"

"Happened?" Kuroko asked, perplexed. The traffic from the streets were rather loud, making his soft voice sound even more delicate.

"Yes. Did something bad happen to you? You haven't been acting like yourself. Hurting others and suddenly moving. Is something wrong with your family? Are you in trouble?"

The bluenette stared at their bewildered expressions with a similar bemusement of his own. "No, nothing's wrong. This is me. This is the me that all of you have been telling me I should be."

"What…?" Kagami whispered in confusion.

Kuroko took a step back from all of them, feeling the anger inside him rumbling like magma, just waiting underneath the surface to burst. "This is the me that focuses about results – the me that will always come out on top –" The poisonous disgust in his voice was so rich that a couple of the players winced unconsciously. "And the me that doesn't have time to _care_ about stupid, unreliable little traitors that aren't worth my _time_." The invisible player had been getting quieter through his speech, and by the time he had gotten to the end was hissing like a venomous snake.

"Kuroko – what do you mean?" Kiyoshi said quietly. "Unreliable – what have we done wrong? Why are you mad at us?"

His head snapped towards the towering center. Seirin stepped back and gasped at the utter hate in his eyes. "Why am I mad at you? I'm not mad. I'm over being mad. I just don't care anymore." A cruel leer began to grow across his angelic face. "Why should I care about people I used to trust when I can just squish them beneath my feet?"

The blood inside their veins curdled as they stood frozen. Whether it was from the twisted words that were just said or the absolute beauty that lit up those usually blank features, no one knew. But there was horror, much of it, that left them rooted to the spot.

The grin dropped though, and Kuroko looked suddenly tired. "Excuse me," he whispered, turning back to the now open sidewalk.

The path wasn't large and most of it had been taken up by the teens, leaving disgruntled pedestrians to lean on the edge of the curb to get by them.

The glimpse of sadness seemed to wake everyone up. Aomine grabbed him first. It was a reflex alone, to reach out for what he wanted – whether that was a basketball or someone's attention. Especially now out of desperation. "Wait, Tetsu, you have to explain it to us! What happened to you?" he demanded.

However, grabbing Kuroko was a mistake.

Aomine cried out when the heavy bags of canned coffee drinks suddenly swung in a giant arc and slammed into the side of his head.

Momoi screamed as the cyan head stumbled backwards. Shoulder first, he slammed into a parked car and groaned, holding tight to the side of his face. It was throbbing like fire – was it bleeding? Was his skull cracked open? Hundreds of lights exploded across his eyes and he crumpled to the ground.

"Dai-chan!" Momoi screeched. She pulled his heavy hand away to see the wound – luckily it didn't burst through the skin. But a blotch of red and yellow was blooming over the dark canvas, forewarning some serious bruises.

"What the hell, Kuroko!" the red head yelled. He wanted to shake the boy awake, or at least slam him into something to stop this madness. It all seemed like a dream. The gentle, soft-spoken Kuroko slugging five cans and whatever else in those bags at someone's head. It wasn't possible. None of this was possible.

The smaller boy looked positively livid. His nostrils flared and his entire face had contorted to an ugly, monstrous snarl. He glared with revulsion at the collapsed basketball player then turned for the rest.

"Don't you dare touch me, ever again," he seethed. Kuroko couldn't take this anymore. He'd been trying to hold himself back – he'd been trying to be civil. He'd tried to push them back as much as he could, but now they were here. In front of him. Crowding him, interrogating him. The last people that he wanted to see, and now they were all here, in front of him.

It could be worse. All the Miracles could be here. All the so called people he loved could be here.

He was beginning to hyperventilate. Beginning to panic. But most of all, the anger that he'd been attempting to bottle so tightly was overflowing, bubbling and red like blood form a pot.

He hated them. Hated them all. The traitors. The weak.

Kuroko's eyes practically glowing with liquid fire, spitting out the words with all the revulsion he could create without going out of his mind. "You are – all of you – are just rotten. Trash. Filthy, lowly nothings. You're worth nothing to me! I'm so sick of you, of _waiting_ for you!"

"Kuroko –" Kagami attempted, completely panicked now. What was wrong with Kuroko? Maybe he really was sick. Maybe something really bad has happened to him and no one saw. What was it? What was wrong?

Kuroko wouldn't hear a word of it though. It wasn't even a blur – because to be a blur, you had to be visible in the first place, and the last thing that the bluenette was is noticeable.

With a hearty snap, the shadow shoved the heel of his palm into Kagami's arm, slamming through his pressure point and rendering Kagami breathless and in unwritten pain.

The pain hadn't had full time to register, nor did the eyes have time to discern the rarely visible head of blue hair before the hand whipped back around, crashing into Kagami's neck in what was now Kuroko's signature knife move.

All remnants of air disappeared and Kagami collapsed on the ground beside Aomine.

Kuroko clenched his now reddening hand, which was throbbing in pain at the assault. The anger was still flowing strong and fresh and he relished in the feeling of giving retribution, finally enforcing power – his own strength.

The attack was silent and swift, but people had begun to notice the scene. Two boys sprawled on the ground, the sudden cries of a beautiful pink haired girl. As well as a gentle, delicate looking boy staring daggers at the pathetic pile under him.

"The hell – the hell, Kuroko-kun," Koganei breathed, horrified.

"Kagami, are you alright?" Hyuuga demanded, kneeling down.

No one dared to step forward visibly, but people still began to yell. The shock had been enough to wake them up.

"What are you doing?" Izuki's voice began to rise abnormally high.

"Why did you attack us –"

"Kuroko, what is wrong with you?"

"We never meant to hurt you, man, talk to us!"

As the voices kept climbing higher, Kuroko's body had begun to tense more, growing colder and meaner. He gripped his bags and was about to step forward, when luckily, a clear and resonant voice saved them all from more pain.

"Tetsuya!" Akashi ran over to them, those bejeweled eyes wide.

As soon as Kuroko saw the captain, it was as if a calming spell had been cast over the boy. His shoulders relaxed suddenly and all the tension in his face drained, as well as the last of its color, although he had been rather pale to begin with.

Akashi squeezed the bluenette's shoulder tightly, turning to the rest of the team. With a guarded expression, he asked, "What's going on here?"

"Kuroko-kun's gone crazy!" Furihata blurted out. "He attacked Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun for no good reason!"

Kuroko stiffened at this visibly, rage tingeing his smooth features once more. Akashi's eyes sharpened for a moment in anger but that passed as he noticed his charge's face. The sadistic flare inside him puffed out as fast as it was lit.

Quickly, the young freshman cleared his throat.

"I'm – sorry for what happened." The sentence seemed like it took a lot of effort to get out. "But for the future you should stay away from us. Especially Tetsuya."

"Stay away from 'us'?" Aida mimicked with a threatening hand pointed at the shadow. "What happened to him? What happened that made all this happen? Why stay away from 'us', huh? What do you know that gives you the right to keep things from us? He's our teammate! Our friend!"

"Yes. And now he's mine," Akashi's eyes glowed with a cool sort of fire. Those gemlike eyes glittered menacingly. A last remnant of his previous insanity glowed deep within those controlled orbs. "And was his captain even before you entered the picture. I think that makes him my responsibility now."

His eyes flickered to Aomine and Momoi, who seemed to shrink under the gaze of their once and always-will-be captain.

"Next time I say not to bother with something, I expect that you will listen," Akashi warned them, as if he knew Midorima would have spread his last text message far and wide by this time.

Aomine swallowed unhappily, as if taking bitter medicine, before nodding.

Satisfied, Akashi wrapped his entire arm around the bluenette, who deflated just slightly under his captain's grip. "Come on, Tetsuya," he murmured. "Let's go."

Kuroko pressed his lips together and silently turned around, following Akashi out of the dense street. Previously, people had been coming up curiously to see what's going on, but now that Aomine and Kagami were upright, they scattered at the sight of Akashi.

He walked with a kind of presence that was impossible to deny. Even a police officer would not stop to question him, especially now when a quite vulnerable looking boy stood by his side.

Akashi's lips leaned into Kuroko's ear, almost but never brushing across the skin. The boy's head ducked down as they went, before turning a corner and disappearing from the sight of the rest of the team.

Seirin and Too could do nothing but stare at the two of them leave. The loss of their forms woke them from their stupors. Momoi grabbed Aomine's arm. "I think we're going to look at Dai-chan's bruise," she said quietly. "I'll call Akashi-kun later and … see what I can come up with."

This was said with little conviction, as if she knew exactly what to expect from a captain that expected nothing but absolute obedience.

Seirin nodded as well.

"We'll – let you know if we find something," Hyuuga said quietly. He turned to Kagami. "Are you alright? Do you need to see a doctor?"

Kagami shook his head, rubbing the welt that he felt was forming on his neck. "No, just hurts is all."

"Good – let's…get out of the street. People are really looking at us now." He caught a dirty glance from a saleslady that had been sent out to glare at them. Apparently they had been making their scene right in front of her shop.

"Right. Let's go," Kiyoshi said quickly.

The teams shuffled off in no particular direction. If they weren't going to see Kuroko anymore, and he really was or had moved to Kyoto – then the next time they'd meet was on a basketball court.

Kagami grimaced. He couldn't accept that. This was his best friend. He wasn't going to just let him run away like this, no matter what the cause. And that Akashi wasn't going to sink any of his crazy, psychotic claws into him either. There was something going on that was causing all these changes. He would find out what those were, for better or for worse.


	5. Chapter 5

So, hello my lovelies - I'M FINALLY BACK. I'm so sorry for the radio silence. First of all, I just want to thank you for the wonderful reviews that you give to me. I went back to reread a little bit of this story and...I have no idea why you guys like it. I cringe at the writing.

Thank you to all who have reviewed these last few months for never giving up on this fic. I'm never going to abandon it! I just write...super...slowly... But let's hope I can pump out more in the future (and hopefully quicker).

I was all set to review and edit this, but then halfway through, I just gave up. Please accept this small, unworthy chapter as a token on my gratitude forever. Enjoy!

* * *

The trip back to Akashi's apartment was something of a whirlwind. It wasn't that the walk went by particularly fast, but that Kuroko couldn't focus on anything during it. Not the time that passed, the people brushed by them, nor the bumping that they seemed to awkwardly do on these small streets of Tokyo, Akashi's hand still firmly wrapped around his wrist.

Kuroko kept his feet down, staring at the cracks in the concrete and the specks of blackened gum that were melded onto the ground. He struggled to keep up the pace, as awkward as it was with one bag still in his free hand. The other was in Akashi's unused hand. Their clasped hands and strange attempt to walk in in a straight line caught more than a couple of eyes, but Akashi didn't seem to mind. And if he didn't mind, Kuroko certainly couldn't focus on it.

He couldn't seem to focus on anything these days.

Akashi plugged in the code to the entrance gate and they slid into the metal gleam of the elevator. Western in design, the condo had large panes of tinted glass kept out the sun and the cool hardwood floors left it cool within, especially with the weather turning warmer.

As soon as Akashi had unlocked the door and put down his bag on the counter – Kuroko following suit mutely – he grabbed the small boy's shoulders tightly. It wasn't unpleasant or painful, rather, Kuroko felt comforted by the security. Ever since the fight with Seirin, he'd been drifting. Someone giving structure to his rag doll body was a relief.

They sat down on the plush couch. The soft fabric slipped under his fingers like water, making him feel like he was on a cloud.

Akashi's voice was quiet and firm. "What was that all about?" He shook him gently and Kuroko followed the motion easily, letting Akashi's presence envelope him. He always felt safe around Akashi. Although, the sudden dependence he was developing with his captain was scaring him. He knew that it was a dangerous slope, a stupid one. This kind of vulnerability was not him. He wasn't a weak person, needing someone to guide him like a baby.

And he knew that if he needed to depend on someone, Akashi was not the one that he should be leaning on. It just wasn't right…

"Tetsuya," Akashi said a little sharper. "I sent you out to get some drinks and snacks. What happened?"

"I –" Kuroko swallowed, although his throat was completely dry. Maybe that was what the swallow was for. "I went to get them. I did. Everything was fine for a while, just…" he paused, mind drifting back to the moment. It was easy to do, now that they were alone. He felt calm, with Akashi's warm jeweled eyes on him. "When I came out again, suddenly they were there. Calling out to me."

"I felt – ambushed. Backed into a corner. All those feelings resurfaced suddenly and I was paralyzed. I wanted to run away but couldn't. And then – bam. It happened. The anger. It just replaced everything. I felt that disdain. I felt strong." His glance flickered from the wrinkles of the fabric at the crook of Akashi's knee, up his lean torso, and fixed itself on a place under Akashi's chin.

Akashi's face was always perfectly smooth, no sign of a five o'clock shadow anywhere in its vicinity. However, he did know that Akashi shaved– had seen the new razor blades that the service had delivered to their doorstep.

Having a company that dropped off anything to one's doorstep. That's something Kuroko would've never thought to do in a million years, and now he couldn't get enough of it.

It was strange having these tiny luxuries – it made sense, since the move from Kyoto to Tokyo had been done at such short notice –delivery services, and a maid, or a dry cleaner for their socks. He had fallen into Akashi's lifestyle, something so foreign to him at times that he couldn't help but smile. Every new experience felt like a privilege. A glimpse into the life of Akashi Seijuuro that probably no one else had the chance of ever seeing before.

The first of these being that now Akashi shaved. It had only been less than a year since things the Generation of Miracles had split, and yet so much had already changed. So much.

"I was just so _angry_. That they could still ask me all those questions – look so shocked like _I_ was in the wrong. Like I had done something to hurt them. It was so stupid! So infuriating!" Kuroko's breathless laugh was changing to soundless gasps, the grin turning feral. "Like I had ever done anything to deserve what they did to me – how they treated _me_. With everything that I had ever done for them, all that I had given of my life to them!"

Warm hands ran up Kuroko's shoulders and down his forearms over and over. In the short time span for Kuroko to change moods again, he had gotten terribly cold. Akashi had also found it the best way to calm the shadow.

Kuroko rarely was touched due to his invisibility. Transparency like his was a very powerful shield against most casual contact and Kuroko had never been the most outgoing of souls to initiate it himself.

Akashi hushed him quietly. His fingers worked deep into the stiff muscles on Kuroko's clavicle, working up the next in a light massage. His skin was warm, a little hard from the constant basketball practice and horse riding, but it still felt nice. A hand rose to touch Kuroko's soft hair, threading itself in the locks. A brush hesitantly brushed across his face.

Kuroko's eyes shut. He breathed soundlessly.

"It's okay. It's okay. They're not here anymore."

Akashi bit his lip as he pulled away. It was sad to feel the sensation go. At least one of his hands lingered over Kuroko's arm.

"You know, I was one of those people as well," Akashi said quietly. There was no defense in his eyes, just plainness.

Kuroko blinked. Then gave a sad smile. "Yes, but you came back in the end." He reached out towards Akashi but dropped the hand.

If Kuroko was in distress, touch was fine. It was a good way to calm him down. But any other time, touch between the two of them was awkward, like some kind of loophole that they forgot to close or address. Now neither of them knew what to do with it or where to go. So it continued to hang there, the last end of an unspoken promise.

Kuroko cleared his throat, rubbing the useless hand against his neck. "It's different," Kuroko said certainly. He might not be completely healed, but this was something that he was certain of the night that Akashi came to rescue him when no one else did. That the red head was forgiven, always and completely. "You're different."

Akashi attempted a half-hearted smile. It didn't reach his eyes, which were still filled with uncertainty. "Well, good."

Suddenly aware of how little space was between them, the captain cleared his throat and got up. The popcorn, freshly popped about twenty minutes ago was well on its way to being stale by now. They had been just about to fire up a movie – The Bad Seed – one of those old classics that Tetsuya really loved and Akashi fairly tolerated due to the fact that it was completely in English and it centered on the idea that people could be born evil from the start.

That kind of psychology attracted him thoroughly. Kuroko could see why.

"Are you hungry yet?" Akashi cracked open the coffee cans, slightly dented from the bones that they hit on the previous basketball players. "I could make something?"

"Are you going to try to cook fish again?" Kuroko called out. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of Akashi frowning down at the smoking oven again, as if it was a dog that simply wouldn't do as it was told.

"All masters were apprentices at one point," the taller boy declared flatly. "And it won't happen again."

"We had to use the fire extinguisher," he reminded him lightly.

"I thought the oven was in Fahrenheit."

"Something that I'll never quite figure out," Kuroko quipped snidely.

Akashi did a classic glare. A sliver of something crazier and angrier slipped into the gaze, but disappeared just as quickly.

Kuroko stayed silent, watching.

Akashi sighed, looking tired suddenly. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Kuroko murmured. And he meant it. Akashi's own demons were just as cruel, even more so than Kuroko's. While his simply injured and wounded himself, his captain's demons hurt everyone around him. And he couldn't help but feel for that.

The Akashi that he knew wasn't that heartless person…but then again, he wasn't that pure and hardworking leader that had discovered his special skill. He had changed that last year at Teikou and there was no doubt it denying it. He was something new now, in between the two extremes. Something of a dual-personality, one side sharp and unmerciful, the other dull and strong, like a katana. And such a beautiful masterpiece was nothing near terrible.

And Kuroko ... yes … could deal with that. He could accept something like that.

He jolted out of his stupor as Akashi slammed the freezer door. He had almost gone _there_ again. And it was getting more common the more time they spent with each other.

Deal with? Deal with what? Akashi's demons?

Sure, maybe it was Kuroko's breakdown that had caused Akashi to wake up, even a little, but deal with them like he could heal them? That was too self-confident of him. Too righteous.

Akashi was here to help him out, help him get on his own two feet again. He wasn't here to baby him or hire him as a therapist. Kuroko could barely take care of himself at this point, let alone help Akashi, who had been functioning more or less fine without him for all this time.

But still – he had been selfish and pigheaded like all the others that you depended on. Even if he's redeeming himself now, it was only because of you.

Kuroko smacked the invisible voice that lingered in his head. No. He had forgiven Akashi. He had seen the older boy in the last few weeks since all of this had happened. It was completely different from the terrifying monster that had replaced his friend before.

And that wasn't the same thing. Akashi had been lost, but Kuroko was broken. They were not on the same level.

His focus right now was to get better and not be a burden on Akashi. Their ... friendship and Akashi's condition could all be focused on later. Besides, Akashi was the kind of boy to deal with things easily once he knew about them. He didn't need him to make changes to himself. That much was certain from past experience.

Kuroko watched as Akashi checked the oven for a third time before slipping in the pre-made meal. It was something with a fancy French name, but he knew that there was lamb in there somewhere. Akashi worked with a smooth fluidity as he measured out the rice. Kuroko had picked out the rice cooker when they first moved here – Akashi didn't know anything about cooking rice. Now he was doing it like a pro.

The thoughts did their job to sober him up. This wasn't a permanent situation. It was just for now. He was broken, and Akashi was going to fix him, like he always seemed to be able to before the downfall.

Just what was Akashi giving up in order to do this for him? Rent the place for him – transfer him to Rakuzan? Give up his tranquil Winter holidays to stay with him?

He didn't know. Akashi rarely said more than a reassuring 'don't worry about it' before changing the topic quickly. And if those things weren't proof that the red head had changed for the better, Kuroko didn't know what else did.

He wished he knew. He wished he could do more, to take the load off of Akashi. But even if he did know, there wouldn't be much difference he could do. His situation was still the same and he was still relying on Akashi's support in everything. He just had to get better as quickly as possible so whatever Akashi was doing, he didn't have to do it for long.

Kuroko bit his lip, drawing a pillow close to his chest. They were so close, and yet so far.

At that point, his landlord and roommate looked up. "Well? Are you going to help?"

He put the pillow down quickly and came over to his side of the counter. "With what?"

"Dinner."

"You know I can only boil eggs," Kuroko said flatly. "And make rice. I taught you half of my entire cooking arsenal."

"I know. And we're going to fix that," Akashi declared. _Pot telling the kettle that they'll both be painted pink._ "Later. But I wasn't talking about food."

With a lighthearted flourish, the captain pulled out a tall bottle. "A young Cabernet to go with our lamb." Akashi winked at Kuroko, who was giving him the best of his blank stares. It didn't seem to ruffle the budding wine fanatic.

"The fruity flavor will go perfectly with our meal and movie. I thought I'd teach you how to uncork a wine bottle tonight." He winked and tugged at the drawer by Kuroko's hip.

The smaller boy stumbled back far enough for Akashi to pull out something that looked like a corkscrew with metal wings hooked on both sides.

"That looks like a murder weapon," Kuroko deadpanned.

Akashi grinned. "It's close enough."

"We're not even of a legal age to drink yet," he protested. "How did you even get that? Did it come with your delivery system or something?"

"It did, actually," he answered smugly.

Kuroko was unamused.

With only the briefest of hesitations, brushed a hand through his charge's hair. "Don't worry. You won't get drunk, I promise you. It's only to try." His fingers stopped and pulled back slowly. "If that's okay with you, of course."

Kuroko looked up. Those eyes. He used to hate the gold. It symbolized something bad. The end of one of the best times of his life. A change that would never revert back, no matter what he did.

"It's okay."

* * *

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